Travel
Travel with me: Sri Lanka, from West to East Coast
16.6.16
Having no clue what to do in Kandy or thereafter, I decided that making friends
was the best way to travel. This is how I met Gerben Douma, a guy from Holland who had been travelling for the past 8 months. Putting his corporate
career on hold to pursue travelling, Gerben has cycled Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia; has been surfing and scuba-diving in the Philippines, climbed Mt Fuji in shorts and
sneakers, and shared with me many other travel adventures on our train ride to Kandy. With neither of us having any idea of
what to do in Kandy, we decided to explore together.
Kandy. After escaping the chaotic Kandy
train/bus station, we found a heritage B&B on the main street of Kandy, run
by a sweet old lady (not the cheapest option at $15 each, as there are hostels
out of the city centre for less than $5/night). We found some touristy things
to do, such as: walking around Kandy lake at sunset, snacking on mangoes and
coconut water, and visiting the famous Temple of the Tooth - an important and
beautiful Buddhist temple housing a tooth from the Buddha (entry fee:
1000rupees/$10). Our temple visit coincided with a Puja ceremony (which
takes place daily at 6am, 9am and 6.30pm) - a mesmerising ceremony of traditional
drumming and trumpets, with a queue to glimpse the revered tooth. Note:
to enter, men and women need to cover knees and shoulders, and remove
shoes.
Adam's
Peak. An avid mountain climber, Gerben asked
me to join his climb of Adam's Peak - a holy mountain and site of the
Buddha's footprint. Delhousie is the small town and starting point for this
8km climb. During the dry season, there is a direct bus from Kandy to
Delhousie. However, being off season, we took three bumpy buses (Kandy
to Hatton, Hatton to Maskeliya, Maskeliya to Delhousie), eventually
arriving in cool and foggy hill country. Off-season can mean rain for days,
making Adam's Peak difficult to climb. Many restaurants and hotels are closed
from June to October. However, some hotels remain open and offer cheap rates
(and are open to negotiation). Most people start climbing at
2am to see the sunrise. During off-season, the peak is shrouded in thick fog,
and there's no point to climb this early, as you won't see sunrise. We were
fortunate to have dry weather on our second day; and 5500 painfully steep steps
later (for me, at least!), we made it to the top! The path is well-built and
special hiking shoes are not needed. Wear layers, bring snacks, and pace
yourself (unlike me, who almost gave up halfway)!
Nuwara
Eliya. Another three windy bus rides later through lush tea plantations, we arrived in chilly Nuwara Eliya - a summit town
known as little Britain, with country clubs, golf and a horse-racing track.
It's actually cold here! If you didn't pack for cold weather, there are
merchants selling jumpers and hats everywhere. I picked up a few second-hand
sweaters off the back of a truck for 150rupees ($1.50). Take a beautiful trek through the tea plantations to Single Tree Mountain. It's a relatively
short and steep walk, with views over the entire town. The path is not
well-marked, and we asked around a few times to find it.
Arugam
Bay. Two buses and a tuk-tuk later, we found
ourselves back in scorching Sri Lankan heat. A hotspot for Australian surfers,
Arugam Bay is feels like one laid back beach party. The beaches are lined with
cabanas and sun beds, the surf is beautiful with clean, rolling waves, and
reggae and electronic music is pumping 24/7. Arugam Bay is an interesting mix
of tanned tourists in bikinis and a large Muslim
population. Respect the local culture, and keep the exhibitionism to a minimum (and please do not wear a G-string to walk down the main
street...).
Sunrise is prime surf & yoga time, and surf hotspots are busy from 6-8am. The sweltering heat of the day means there's not much one
can do besides laze on a hammock with a good book.
The town wakes up a little in the evening, with bars and restaurants offering
refreshments and boardgames like Jenga. Make sure to eat hoppers from a street
cart!
Roadside shops
sell batik dresses, printed singlets and the ubiquitous elephant pants. This town is a little bit hippy and very chilled out.
Kumana
National Park (or, DIY safari). Forget booking
a tour and hire a scooter for the day (cost: 1000rupees + 250 for
fuel). Escape the throngs of tourists in Arugam Bay and ride through rice
paddies, sand dunes and deserted beaches. Take yourself to Kumana National Park
- the peak of Yala National Park - famous for safari.
We were able to get up close to a few elephants (they are used to
people and vehicles, although I still kept a safe distance)! Visit around 4pm, when
the elephants come out to the watering holes. Peacocks, water buffaloes, monkeys, deer, and birds of all sizes
and colours... Kumana is beautiful and so worth getting sunburnt for (note to
self: wear more sunscreen).
Okanda is a small fishing village in Kumana National Park, with an important Hindu temple to which many people make yearly pilgrimage. We met two lovely
families on pilgrimage - one Buddhist, one Hindu. One family had travelled for
three days by tractor to reach this site. We watched a ceremony inside the
temple, and were offered fruits from the offerings plate after the ceremony.
Offerings are made three times daily, and then the fruit is shared amongst
temple visitors.
Back to Colombo. The nearest main bus station from Arugam Bay is in Pottuvil - about
15min away. From there, we were told there are buses to various cities in the
direction of Colombo. However, after many confusing and contradicting
instructions on how to get to Pottuvil, we decided to hitchhike. As
soon as our thumbs went out, a van pulled up beside us (apparently Sri Lankans
are very responsive to hitchhikers!). As it happened, the nice people in the
van were driving to Nuwara Eliya and offered us a 3hr ride to Ella, where we could catch the famously scenic (but famously slow) train to Colombo
(about 9hrs).
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